Thread: Can a 1/2 ton pick-up truck pull a skid steer?

I recently bought an F150, long bed, ext cab, with the 5.0 L motor, and the wide ratio trans. Truck seems to be a good puller.. But I was wonder if it can tow a smaller model skid steer..

I see guys around here tow skid steers mostly with f250s and f350s..
Can my F150 do the job? Would be great if it can, (since I'm thinking about getting one.. Would be better than having to worry about buying a bigger truck just to tow it)... Would rather use this truck to tow my landscape trailer and the skid steer..

Yes but a bad idea. Also depending on location the dot might hassle you. I had a boss pull an 870 skid on a 12k equipment trailer. Good trailer breaks and he would take it easy. Still seemed strange to me and dangerousPosted via Mobile Device

yes it will pull it, but stopping it is completely different. More than likely any skid combined with the weight of the trailer is going to be well over the vehicles capacity and unsafe. There is alot more to it than will it pull it. Pulling a heavy trailler with a truck that isn't made for it will cause a lot of head aches. The drive train simply isn't made for that much abuse. You will cause premature wear to the transmision, rearend, transfer case (if 4wd), engine will be forced to run at higher rpms. Stopping will put alot more abuse on brakes, and cause premature wear. Your going to abuse the suspension, front and rear. Add in a little rain and you'll get real nervous. In stop and go traffic you will really notice the work the f150 is doing.

On top of all that, you have to remember that if you are over weight you are illegal. Here DOT will stp you in a heart beat. Even if it's not DOT, pulling a skid with a 1/2 would cause any local or state officer to pull you over and have you weighting on the side of the road for an hour till a DOT statie comes. They would kneel you with a minimum of a couple thousand dollars in fines and then you would be paying to have your trailer towed back to your lot for you.

Even worse, if you get in an accident with an overweight trailer, even if caused by the other driver, you may be found at fault for being over weight.

__________________Why do people not respect us as they do other tradesmen? Because every Tom, Dick, and Harry doesn't think he can be a plumber or electrician!

As long as you don't exceed the towing specs for your truck you will be fine. Most 1/2 tons are around 7500lbs tow weight, that's the trailer with load. That being said, it would need to be no larger than a Bobcat S100 or similar skid steer. Do yourself, and the rest of those on the road, a favor and stay within the limits of your truck and stay legal. I've read too many stories about a load that should have been fine, only to cause a crash, injuries, and even deaths. JMO

06 F250 5.4 Ext Cab Long Bed 4x4 - Towed the same 7k dump trailer. Totally different world towing with that truck. Much more stable. Invested in a 14k dump trailer and the truck did ok. 5.4 struggled at high loads and needed to add air bags and an upgraded hitch to feel "ok" with it. But the truck overall did ok.

08 F350 V10 Crew Cab Short Bed Dually - Honestly don't feel the trailer back there, meaning I'm not getting pushed around. Braking is great and its so much more stable with and without loads.

I think having a properly equipped truck, I didn't say brand new, is important when towing. I also didn't say own a diesel or gas truck either. The dually gives me much more control over the loads I'll carry and leave room to spare with RGAWR on the truck. Even the 250 handled loads much better. Could a 98 F150 4.6l reg cab short bed tow my dump trailer? Sure, I wouldnt recommend it though. I think the downfall I see with the half tons is in payload and RGAWR. Hook up a heavy trailer with proper tongue load and those half tons want to sit on the bump stops and possibly be over RGAWR. Plus the hitches on my lighter trucks were only rated to 5000lbs and 500lbs tongue weight without weight distribution. My dually hitch is only rated to 8000lbs 800lbs tongue without weight distibution, but I installed a new one. Just stuff to think about....

The question is, Can it stop a trailer w/ skidsteer?Posted via Mobile Device

^^This^^

A good trailer with good brakes will go a long way, my dad used a old dodge for years hauling treated decking with a slant 6 /manual trans and I think the truck stopped better with the trailer on it. That truck saw crazy abuse and put food on the table for years. However it would have to be a smaller skid steer and a light trailer for me to regularly haul with a 1/2ton.

I see guys who haul pretty heavy antique tractors around here with trucks and trailers that make ya cringe But they also go about 30mph tops too....

That's about a 1995 and it should have a 3.55 rear. It should have a 4R70W tranny. Supercab. Your gross combined weight limit is 11,500 pounds. Max trailer weight is 7,000 pounds. These numbers come out of my 1995 F150 Owner's Manual.

I regularly pull a 7.5X16 tandem axle trailer with a total weight (including mowers, trimmers etc.) right at about 4,500 pounds. My truck came with 3.08 gears but I swapped them out for a Traction Lok differential with 3.55 gears. I also have Roadmaster Active Suspension (http://www.activesuspension.com/) with adjustable weight jackers. I don't have any real problems pulling and I have 148,000+ miles on the original tranny.

Where I think your real problem is going to be is the tongue weight. It doesn't take much to put the bumper on the ground. 1/2 ton is really about all they'll safely take on the rear as a load.

I've had 1,800 pounds of gravel in the bed of mine. It pushed it down pretty good but it wasn't obscene. I was more worried about the wheels handling the load than anything else.